New Year’s Resolutions

My New Year’s resolution is to simply remember to write 2015 instead of 2014. I’ll also try to incorporate the following into my daily routine:

Take time to write.

Read in the genre that I want to write. And read beyond that genre.

Have fun writing.

Finish the unfinished projects.

Rewrite some old manuscripts.

Submit manuscripts.

Believe.

Write your own attainable and measurable resolutions. Just thinking about what you want to accomplish will help jump-start your writing career.

Here’s to a happy 2014 2015 year of writing.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

The Maze. Open to teens in sixth-12th grade. A teen annual anthology featuring poetry and artwork of high school students from around the world. Submissions accepted year round. Deadline for each year's edition is the first Friday of March. Each year we publish the best of all entries received. If your work is selected, you will receive two free copies of the book.

Submission guidelines at http://www.adonisdesignspress.com/maze_submissions

Deadline: Friday, Feb. 27

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Discover magazine is a popular science magazine made available to the general public in doctor's offices, schools and libraries. It has a large home-subscriber base as well. The subject matter covers exciting breakthroughs and research in medicine, technology and science, written in language an educated layman can comprehend. The magazine's breadth of science topics also includes paleontology, space travel and physics along with many other science-related topics. According to the editors' written instructions, if you have a science-related story you wish to write for Discover magazine, you must first send them a query or pitch.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_5117085_submit-discover-magazine.html

Submission guidelines at http://www.ehow.com/how_5117085_submit-discover-magazine.html

 

Merry Christmas

Enjoy the holidays and the writing quotes.

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.
~Mary Heaton Vorse

As far as I'm concerned, "whom" is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.
~ Calvin Trillin

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit. ~ Richard Bach

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. ~ Thomas Jefferson.

Every writer I know has trouble writing. ~  Joseph Heller

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~ Author Unknown

We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.
~ Ernest Hemingway

If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can’t allow what we learned in English composition to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative.
~ Elmore Leonard

Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.
~ Larry L. King, WD

…and my favorite…

It ain’t whatcha write, it’s the way atcha write it.
~ Jack Kerouac, WD

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Stone Soup is a magazine of writing and art by kids ages 13 and younger. We publish stories, poems, book reviews, and illustrations, all by young writers and artists. Stone Soup welcomes submissions from young people up to and including age 13. If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you must submit your work by postal mail. Send it to:

Stone Soup Submissions Dept.
P.O. Box 83
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
Submission guidelines at http://www.stonesoup.com/stone-soup-contributor-guideline/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

BLAZE MAGAZINE
2014 NIGHTLIGHT READING WRITERS CONTEST

Nightlight Reading is requesting submissions for our 2014 Nightlight Readings Short Story Writers Contest that is geared to at-risk boys in the 10-12 year age group who often stop reading for pleasure.  Nightlight Reading’s goal is to fund and promote literature that appeals to boys and keeps them engaged and reading.

§ The 2014 CONTEST THEME is ADVENTURE.

§ The written piece should be considered a SHORT STORY with a MAXIMUM COUNT of 5,000 WORDS.

DEADLINE

Deadline for submission for the 2014 contest is December 31, 2014.

 

Mail entries to

Blaze Magazine, PO Box 2660, Niagara Falls, NY 14302

 

 

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing.”

Play with your memory. Relax. Think back to your childhood. What made you worry? What was fun?  What made you laugh, cry, or hide? The events that evoked your emotions are likely to do the same in readers.

Christmas is a time that floods my mind with memories. The sense of smell is the hardest to incorporate into a story; yet, the sense of smell is a vivid memory, especially when I think of Christmas: the spicy whiff of a fresh-cut tree from the hillside behind our house, the distinctive aroma of oranges, and turkey roasting in the oven. Mmmmmmmm. But one scent ranked above all others. The best smell in the world for this six-year-old gal was the enticing, magical fragrance of a new doll. Today, those enchanting aromas have the power to transcend me back in time in an instance and with only one sniff.

List a few memories from your childhood, maybe four or five. Toss them around to see if they could work as a children’s book. Use the memory as inspiration for the story, not the actual plot.

Mine your memories. Dig deep and write.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Rattle We like poems of any length. Send up to four poems at a time. We’re looking for poems that move us, that might make us laugh or cry, or teach us something new. We like both free verse and traditional forms—we try to publish a representative mix of what we receive. We read a lot of poems, and only those that are unique, insightful, and musical stand out—regardless of style. Since our issues include about 70 pages of poetry, one of the main things we’re looking for is diversity; we have enough room to be eclectic, and we plan on using it. So while most magazines suggest reading their back issues to get a sense of what they like to publish, we’d suggest reading to get a sense of what we’re having trouble finding—if you notice a style or subject matter that we don’t seem to be publishing, send us that!

Submission guidelines at http://www.rattle.com/poetry/submissions/guidelines/

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:  

Clear Creek Writers 2014 Contest: Clear Creek Writers is having their second annual writers contest with hundred dollar prizes for both prose and poetry. As the contest is new, the contestants are limited and your chances are good.

Submission guidelines at http://clearcreekwriters.org/new-contest-for-2014/

Deadline: January 4, 2015

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing.”

If a scene can be deleted from a story without changing the overall plot, the scene is probably not needed. Consider rewriting so everything your character does results in repercussions. What are the consequences if the character enters the door with a sign: Do Not Enter. If the characters actions are big, so will be the consequences. Readers want extraordinary experiences when reading. The characters must take action. As writers, we cannot let the characters take the easy way out of the predicament.

Characters’ reactions should have passion and fervor if we expect the reader to become involved in the story. The key to gaining a reader’s attention is through the reaction of the character. Make the character curious and show this through thought, action, and dialog. Take the reader inside the character’s head to show varying levels of intensity. The character will be more upset with some events than others, and the emotional reactions well vary accordingly.

Reactions make the characters seem real. Allow them to have high and low emotions, to get angry or upset, speak out in anger, make mistakes, and react in way they later regret. Readers respond to characters’ feelings so invite readers to the emotional side of your story.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

 

One Teen Story accepts submissions from writers of all ages. Most of the stories we publish are by adult authors writing for a young-adult audience. While teen writers are welcome to submit during our regular submission period, we encourage them to submit instead to our teen contest, which opens on May 1, 2013. One Teen Story is looking for great short stories written for the young adult audience ages 13 and up. These stories should deal with the teen experience (issues of identity, friendship, family, coming-of-age, etc.) and should be geared primarily toward an audience of teen readers.

Submission guidelines at http://www.oneteenstory.com/index.php?page=submit

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

MONKEY STAR PRESS ANTHOLOGIES. We are looking for content for two mom lit anthologies 1) tantrums and babysitters, and 2) moms, children, and lack of sleep. We accept personal essay, creative nonfiction, flash memoir, and non-essay content including poems, lists, top ten, dos and don’ts, humor or inspirational, up to 2,000 words. Deadline December 31, 2014. One to two free paperback copies of the anthology and compensation ranging from $25 to $200 (to be paid after publication based on a payment structure that is explained and outlined in the contract that you sign).

Submission guidelines at http://www.monkeystarpress.com/p/call-for-submissions.html